[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
trust each other too much."
'Then we need to negotiate a mass cease-fire," Carialle said.
"Not without a ready alternative," Chaumel returned promptly. "Our system is
steeped in treachery and the counting of coup."
"I found references to that, too," Keff said, consulting a page of the first
manual. "Somebody made a bad transla-
tion for your forefathers of instructions given to officers seeking promotion.
It says 'consideration for continued higher promotion will be given to those
individuals who complete the most successful projects in the most efficient
manner.' It goes on to say that those projects should bene-
fit the whole community, but I guess that part got lost over time. There's a
similar clause in our ship's manual, just in updated language."
Chaumel groaned.
'Then all this time we have been making an enormous mistake." He appealed to
Keffand the image of Carialle. "I
didn't know that we were acting on bad information. All my life I thought I
was following the strictures of the First Ones.
I sought to be worthy of my ancestors. I am ashamed."
Keff realized that Chaumel was genuinely horrified. By his own lights, the
silver mage was an honorable man.
"Well," Keff said, slowly, "you can start to put things right by helping us."
Chaumel chopped a hand across.
"Your ship is free. What else do you want me to do?"
"Seek out the Core of Ozran and find out what it was really meant to do, what
its real capacity is," Carialle said at once. "Its possible, although I think
Page 126
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
unlikely, that you can retain some of your current lifestyle, but if you are
serious about wanting to rescue your planet and future generations-"
"Oh, I am," Chaumel said. T will give no more trouble."
'Then its time to redirect the power to its original pur-
pose, as conceived by the Ancient Ones: weather control."
"But what shall we do about the other mages?" Plenna-
frey asked.
"If we can't convince 'em," Carialle said, "I think I can figure out how to
disable them, based on what our long-
gone chronicler said about answerback frequencies. With a little
experimentation, I can block specific signals, no mat-
ter how tight a wave band they're broadcast on. The others will leam to live
on limited power, or none at all. It's their choice."
"We'd employ that option," Keff said quickly when he saw Chaumels reaction,
"only if there is no other way to persuade them to cooperate."
"And that is where I come in," Chaumel said, smiling for the first time. "I am
held in some esteem on Ozran. I will use my influence to negotiate, as you
say, a widespread mutual surrender. With the help of the magical pictures you
will show us"-he bowed to Carialle s image-"we will persuade the others to see
the wisdom in returning to the ways of the
Ancient Ones. We must not fail. The size of that gourd..."
he said, shaking his head in gently mocking disbelief.
"I still think you're wrong to leave Brannel behind,"
Keff argued, as Plenna lofted him over the broad plains toward Chaumels
stronghold.
"It is better that only we three, with the aid of Carialle and her
illusion-casting, seek to convince the mages," the silver magiman said
imperturbably. He sat upright in his
chariot, hands folded over his beUy.
"But why not Brannel? I'm not a native. I can't explain things in a way your
people will understand."
Chaumel shook his head, and pitched his voice to carry over the wind. "My
fellows will have enough difficulty to beheve in a woman who lives inside a
wall. They will not countenance a smart four-finger. Come, we must discuss
strategy! Tell me again what it said about promotion in the documents. I must
memorize that."
The chariots flew too far away even to be seen on the magic pictures. Brannel,
left alone in the main cabin, felt awkward at being left out but dared not, in
the face of
Chaumels opposition, protest. He remained behind, haunting the ship like a
lonely spirit.
The flat magiwoman appeared on the wall beside him, and paced beside him as he
walked up and back.
"I don't know when they'll be coming back," Carialle said very gently,
surprising him out of his thoughts. "You should go now. Keff will come and get
you when he returns."
"But, Magess," Brannel began, then halted from voicing the argument that
sprang to his tongue. After all, this time she was not driving him away with
painful sounds, but he was unhappy at being dismissed whenever the overlords
had no need of him. After all the talk of equality and the promise of
apprenticeship following his great risk-taking in
Magess Plennafrey's stronghold, he, the simple worker, was once more ignored
and forgotten. He sighed.
"Now, Brannel." The picture of the woman smiled.
"You'll be missed in the cavern if you don't go. True?"
True."
I
'Then come back when you've finished your work for the day. You can keep me
Page 127
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
company while I'm running the rest of the tapes." The voice was coaxing.
"You'll see them before Magess Plenna and Chaumel. How about that as an
apology for not sending you out with the others?"
Brannel brightened slightly. It would be hard to return to daily life after
his brush with greatness. But he nodded, head held high. He had much to think
about.
"Oh, and Brannel," Carialle said. The flat magess was kind. She gestured
toward the food door which opened. A
plate lay there. 'The bottom layer is soft bread. You can roll the rest up in
it. We call it a 'sandwich.'"
He walked down the ship's ramp with the "sandwich" of magefood cradled
protectively between his hands. The savory smell made his mouth water, even
though it hadn't
been long since he had eaten his most delicious lunch.
How he would explain his day's absence to Alteis Brannel didn't yet know, but
at least he would do it on a full belly.
Associating with mages was most assuredly a mixed blessing.
"Why not relax?" Chaumel said, leaning back at his ease in a deeply carved
armchair that bobbed gently up and down in the air. "He will come or he will
not. I shall ask the next prospect and we'll collect High Mage Nokias later.
Sit down! Relax! I will pour us some wine. I have a very good vintage from the
South."
Keff stopped his pacing up and back in the great room of Chaumels stronghold.
Chaumel had decided on the first mage to whom he would appeal, and sent a
spy-eye with the discreet invitation. Evening had fallen while the three of
them waited to see if Nokias would accept. The holographic projection table
from the main cabin was set up in the middle of the room. He went over to
touch it, making sure it was all right. Plennafrey watched him. The young
magiwoman sat in an upright chair in her favorite place by the curtains, hands
folded in her lap.
"Its important to get this right," Keffsaid.
"I know it," Chaumel said. "I am cognizant of the risks. I
may enjoy my life as it is, but I love my world, and I want it to continue
after I'm gone. You may find it difficult to con-
vince my feUows of that. I achieve nothing by worrying about what they will
say before I have even asked the question. The evidence speaks for itself."
"But what if they don't believe it?"
"You leave the rest to me," Chaumel said. He snapped his fingers and a [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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trust each other too much."
'Then we need to negotiate a mass cease-fire," Carialle said.
"Not without a ready alternative," Chaumel returned promptly. "Our system is
steeped in treachery and the counting of coup."
"I found references to that, too," Keff said, consulting a page of the first
manual. "Somebody made a bad transla-
tion for your forefathers of instructions given to officers seeking promotion.
It says 'consideration for continued higher promotion will be given to those
individuals who complete the most successful projects in the most efficient
manner.' It goes on to say that those projects should bene-
fit the whole community, but I guess that part got lost over time. There's a
similar clause in our ship's manual, just in updated language."
Chaumel groaned.
'Then all this time we have been making an enormous mistake." He appealed to
Keffand the image of Carialle. "I
didn't know that we were acting on bad information. All my life I thought I
was following the strictures of the First Ones.
I sought to be worthy of my ancestors. I am ashamed."
Keff realized that Chaumel was genuinely horrified. By his own lights, the
silver mage was an honorable man.
"Well," Keff said, slowly, "you can start to put things right by helping us."
Chaumel chopped a hand across.
"Your ship is free. What else do you want me to do?"
"Seek out the Core of Ozran and find out what it was really meant to do, what
its real capacity is," Carialle said at once. "Its possible, although I think
Page 126
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
unlikely, that you can retain some of your current lifestyle, but if you are
serious about wanting to rescue your planet and future generations-"
"Oh, I am," Chaumel said. T will give no more trouble."
'Then its time to redirect the power to its original pur-
pose, as conceived by the Ancient Ones: weather control."
"But what shall we do about the other mages?" Plenna-
frey asked.
"If we can't convince 'em," Carialle said, "I think I can figure out how to
disable them, based on what our long-
gone chronicler said about answerback frequencies. With a little
experimentation, I can block specific signals, no mat-
ter how tight a wave band they're broadcast on. The others will leam to live
on limited power, or none at all. It's their choice."
"We'd employ that option," Keff said quickly when he saw Chaumels reaction,
"only if there is no other way to persuade them to cooperate."
"And that is where I come in," Chaumel said, smiling for the first time. "I am
held in some esteem on Ozran. I will use my influence to negotiate, as you
say, a widespread mutual surrender. With the help of the magical pictures you
will show us"-he bowed to Carialle s image-"we will persuade the others to see
the wisdom in returning to the ways of the
Ancient Ones. We must not fail. The size of that gourd..."
he said, shaking his head in gently mocking disbelief.
"I still think you're wrong to leave Brannel behind,"
Keff argued, as Plenna lofted him over the broad plains toward Chaumels
stronghold.
"It is better that only we three, with the aid of Carialle and her
illusion-casting, seek to convince the mages," the silver magiman said
imperturbably. He sat upright in his
chariot, hands folded over his beUy.
"But why not Brannel? I'm not a native. I can't explain things in a way your
people will understand."
Chaumel shook his head, and pitched his voice to carry over the wind. "My
fellows will have enough difficulty to beheve in a woman who lives inside a
wall. They will not countenance a smart four-finger. Come, we must discuss
strategy! Tell me again what it said about promotion in the documents. I must
memorize that."
The chariots flew too far away even to be seen on the magic pictures. Brannel,
left alone in the main cabin, felt awkward at being left out but dared not, in
the face of
Chaumels opposition, protest. He remained behind, haunting the ship like a
lonely spirit.
The flat magiwoman appeared on the wall beside him, and paced beside him as he
walked up and back.
"I don't know when they'll be coming back," Carialle said very gently,
surprising him out of his thoughts. "You should go now. Keff will come and get
you when he returns."
"But, Magess," Brannel began, then halted from voicing the argument that
sprang to his tongue. After all, this time she was not driving him away with
painful sounds, but he was unhappy at being dismissed whenever the overlords
had no need of him. After all the talk of equality and the promise of
apprenticeship following his great risk-taking in
Magess Plennafrey's stronghold, he, the simple worker, was once more ignored
and forgotten. He sighed.
"Now, Brannel." The picture of the woman smiled.
"You'll be missed in the cavern if you don't go. True?"
True."
I
'Then come back when you've finished your work for the day. You can keep me
Page 127
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
company while I'm running the rest of the tapes." The voice was coaxing.
"You'll see them before Magess Plenna and Chaumel. How about that as an
apology for not sending you out with the others?"
Brannel brightened slightly. It would be hard to return to daily life after
his brush with greatness. But he nodded, head held high. He had much to think
about.
"Oh, and Brannel," Carialle said. The flat magess was kind. She gestured
toward the food door which opened. A
plate lay there. 'The bottom layer is soft bread. You can roll the rest up in
it. We call it a 'sandwich.'"
He walked down the ship's ramp with the "sandwich" of magefood cradled
protectively between his hands. The savory smell made his mouth water, even
though it hadn't
been long since he had eaten his most delicious lunch.
How he would explain his day's absence to Alteis Brannel didn't yet know, but
at least he would do it on a full belly.
Associating with mages was most assuredly a mixed blessing.
"Why not relax?" Chaumel said, leaning back at his ease in a deeply carved
armchair that bobbed gently up and down in the air. "He will come or he will
not. I shall ask the next prospect and we'll collect High Mage Nokias later.
Sit down! Relax! I will pour us some wine. I have a very good vintage from the
South."
Keff stopped his pacing up and back in the great room of Chaumels stronghold.
Chaumel had decided on the first mage to whom he would appeal, and sent a
spy-eye with the discreet invitation. Evening had fallen while the three of
them waited to see if Nokias would accept. The holographic projection table
from the main cabin was set up in the middle of the room. He went over to
touch it, making sure it was all right. Plennafrey watched him. The young
magiwoman sat in an upright chair in her favorite place by the curtains, hands
folded in her lap.
"Its important to get this right," Keffsaid.
"I know it," Chaumel said. "I am cognizant of the risks. I
may enjoy my life as it is, but I love my world, and I want it to continue
after I'm gone. You may find it difficult to con-
vince my feUows of that. I achieve nothing by worrying about what they will
say before I have even asked the question. The evidence speaks for itself."
"But what if they don't believe it?"
"You leave the rest to me," Chaumel said. He snapped his fingers and a [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]